ABP Southampton Marathon Festival to start at the port

Now dubbed the ABP Southampton Marathon Festival, runners will start at the port for the first time, beginning the race at the iconic port entrance of Dock Gate 8.

Those competing will then join the main route at Town Quay, and the marathon will finish at Guildhall Square where runners can collect their medals.

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ABP and Rees Leisure have entered a five-year sponsorship agreement, making ABP the main sponsor of the Southampton Marathon Festival for a further five years.

Tom Dynes, ABP general manager, landside operations, and Chris Rees,  director of Rees Leisure. (Image: ABP)

The event has been rebranded the Southampton Marathon Festival to better reflect the five distances and emphasise its festival atmosphere.

Tom Dynes, ABP general manager, landside operations, stated: "We are excited to start the event at Dock Gate 8, something we have been keen to do for a while and it will create an iconic image for the Marathon Festival."

Chris Rees, director of Rees Leisure, said: "There’s nothing quite like the buzz of 10,000 runners setting off from Dock Gate 8, right at the heart of Southampton’s historic port."